I. Theory
The preposition zu is often found before infinitives in German, much like “to” is in English. However, in German, zu is not present when there is a modal verb plus an infinitive. Therefore, zu is most frequently seen when the infinitive in question is in its own clause (an Infinitivsatz) or used in conjunction with a verb that is not a modal verb.For example:
| Ich muss meine Hausaufgaben machen (no “zu” due to modal verb). I must do my homework. |
But
| Ich habe vergessen, meine Hausaufgaben zu machen. I forgot to do my homework. |
In the sentence above, we see that the infinitive clause begins after the comma.
II. Verbs often found with zu + infinitive
There is a wide range of verbs/expressions that are found in conjunction with Infinitivesätze. This lesson focuses on four of them: vergessen, brauchen, Lust haben, and vorhaben.Vergessen
| Ich vergesse immer, das Licht *auszumachen. I always forget to turn off the lights. |
*Remember: for separable verbs, zu goes in between the verb stem and its separable prefix.
| Hast du vergessen, deine Mutter anzurufen? Did you forget to call your mother? |
Brauchen
| Wir brauchen nicht lange zu überlegen. We don’t need long to deliberate. Du brauchst nur die Hälfte zu bezahlen. You only need to pay half. |
Lust haben
| Habt ihr Lust, in die Stadt zu fahren? Do you want to drive into the city? Der kranke Hund hatte keine Lust zu fressen. The sick dog didn’t want to eat. |
Vorhaben
| Wir haben am Wochenende vor, ins Konzert zu gehen. We are planning to go to a concert this weekend. Die Schülerin hat vor, Präsidentin zu werden. The student plans to become President. |